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Sharing a love for Indycar with my sonsWed, 17 Apr 2019 16:08:06 +0000en
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The Field for the 2019 Indianapolis 500 is Set!https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/the-field-for-the-2019-indianapolis-500-is-set/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/the-field-for-the-2019-indianapolis-500-is-set/#commentsMon, 20 May 2019 00:51:32 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/the-field-for-the-2019-indianapolis-500-is-set/Continue reading →]]>After a sleepless night (I can only imagine how it was for the drivers) my first thought in the morning was on the weather. Would we have a chance to set the field? Would the six slowest cars get their chance to run in this years Indianapolis 500? Well rain was coming. Five of the six cars were able to get in some practice laps but after the rains the track would be slightly different anyway and not sure how much those laps may have helped. Since it was raining I decided to go to church. Full disclosure- I sat in the last row and had my phone out with NBC Gold on so I could keep an eye on things. Pastor John gave a great sermon about the meek that actually applied to qualifying and I was glad I went. It seemed that we might not get a chance to get qualifying in but a break in the weather provided enough time to dry the track and get the bottom six cars out for their one last shot at getting in the field.

Until last week I was under the misconception that the bottom six would have a limited amount of time to bump their way into the field. For whatever reason two hours was stuck in my head. Last week I learned that no they would be given one last attempt to make it in. All week I thought that was not the best thing. What if James had another vibration? What is someone miscalculated gas and ran out? I was in favor of multiple attempts to earn your way back in. Danica Patrick is already receiving a lot of criticism on social media for the job she did in the broadcasting booth. I don’t agree with most of it. She did say that she was in favor of just having one attempt. Why prolong what is going to happen? If you have a problem on the track it very likely will mess up your day regardless of how many attempts you get. Hmm? I found that interesting and for me anyway the three drivers that got in are exactly who I would have chose so at least for this year I’m happy with the one chance. So who made it in and who is out?

Sage Karam was fastest today among the six drivers looking to join the field. He was in tears when they interviewed him. Sage has shown so much potential and is such a great personality. Why he isn’t in IndyCar full time I do not know. I was thrilled he made the field.

James Hinchcliffe There are not words for how disappointing it would be to have James miss the 500 again. Besides the fact that he is a fan favorite if there was ever anyone that was owed something by the Speedway it is James. The Arrow Schmidt Peterson team is a quality one and they worked hard to get James in the field. I’m so incredibly thankful the hard work paid off.

Kyle Kaiser This is the shocker. Kyle is racing in his first 500 with a new team, Juncos Racing. Everyone knew it would be a long shot for them to make it in. Kyle had a crash in practice which made their chances look even more slim. To top it off they were going against big teams like Arrow Schmidt Peterson and McLaren. Now McLaren might not have a ton of experience at Indy but they are a champion team and I imagine it was pretty intimidating. Kyle and Juncos Racing made it in the field qualifying in the 33rd position and knocking Fernando Alonso and the McLaren team out.

Fernando Alonso Well as stated Fernando and McLaren are out. They just did not have the speed to make it into the top 33. I’ve never been a fan since 2017 when Stefan Wilson was asked to give up his seat so that Fernando could race. Stefan saw what that would mean to IndyCar but honestly it meant nothing to me. I’m an IndyCar fan and want to see the IndyCar drivers advance, not drivers from other Series come over and take rides from the IndyCar guys. I still hold a bit of a grudge. However, listening to Fernando and Gil de Ferran in the press conference following qualifying made me hope that they will return next year. Gil stated that they had no intention of buying their way back in and I respect that. I hope they learn from their mistakes and come back bigger and better and preferably for the whole season. I might even be rooting for them to make the field next year.

Max Chilton Max is probably the driver I feel the worst for. I hated seeing how upset he was for not making it in. I hope the Carlin team just sees this as a chance to learn from mistakes and build a better, stronger team. I also hope it does not hurt any sponsorship they have.

Pato O’Ward Pato is young and very talented. This wasn’t a make it or break it deal for him. I know he is crushed but I believe he will bounce back from this. Pato is also on the Carlin team so this truly is heartbreaking for the team.

Before we could even let all that happened with the last row sink in the first driver for the fast nine shoot out was pulling onto the track. I was tempted to pause the TV so I could absorb all that just happened but I didn’t want to fall behind on the fast nine so I jumped right on the emotional roller coaster that is Indy 500 qualifying. A little less drama among the top nine.

Alexander Rossi I honestly was surprised he didn’t do better. He’s been fast and confident all month. I thought he had a real chance for the pole. He will start 9th.

Josef Newgarden Also expected more from Josef.

Sébastien Bourdais Honestly it’s such a testament to the Dale Coyne team to have Sébastien in the top 9. Wish he had done even better but he will be one to watch for sure.

Will Power Power was looking to add a pole at Indy to his resume. It didn’t happen this year.

Colton Herta. Strong and appears fearless. Another one to watch on race day and every future race.

Ed Jones This is Ed’s only oval this season. He did great showing that he has what it takes. The Ed Carpenter team qualified 2,3,4, quite impressive

Spencer Pigot One of the few people really hoping for more rain today. Had it rained the fast nine would have kept their order from day one and Pigot would have been on the pole. I would have been very happy with that scenario. Sadly is wasn’t to be and he will start 3rd.

Ed Carpenter Had Ed won the pole he would have become the first driver to win back to back poles twice. I have a strong feeling Ed could win this year, if not as a driver then as a team owner. I imagine it would be hard for him to win as an owner if he hasn’t first won as a driver. I’d be thrilled to see Ed drink the milk and kiss the bricks.

Simon Pagenaud This was a surprise for me in a couple ways. One I was rooting for him. I don’t normally root for the Penske guys but I just love Simon. He is so sweet and genuine. We are also being told every week that is he doesn’t win some races Roger might be looking to replace him on Team Penske. Well Simon won the GP last week and now has won the pole. Perhaps that’s enough to keep him around a bit longer. At the end of the day I often like the underdog and while Simon is hardly an underdog he might be the underdog of Team Penske. I was thrilled to see him win the pole and you could see how excited he was too.

One of the fun things about investing your time watching qualifying is hearing everyone’s stories. It changes my opinion on who I want to do well and who I’m okay with being out. The more a team struggles the more I want them in and sometimes vice versa. This was a thrilling weekend and I enjoyed every minute.

We will be heading to Indy late Friday night and can’t wait for the weekend activities and the greatest spectacle in racing. I hope to have a post or two both about the race and our weekend at the Speedway. So that just leaves one thing for now. My pick for the 500. Honestly, I have about 15-20 I’d be happy with. I want Marco Andretti to win. For so many reasons I would love to see him cross the bricks first. With a 10th place starting spot he could definitely be a contender. He is always good at Indy. Since I probably just jinxed him more than the Andretti curse already has I will also pick the Ed Carpenter team. As I said before I think anyone of them has a great chance. I know I picked four guys but I could give good reasons for about half the field to be in the winners circle so just be glad I stopped at four. If today was any indication we are going to have an amazing race day. THIS IS MAY!

]]>https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/the-field-for-the-2019-indianapolis-500-is-set/feed/4ikissedthebricks2019 Indy GP Race Dayhttps://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/16/2019-indy-gp-race-day/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/16/2019-indy-gp-race-day/#respondThu, 16 May 2019 21:21:34 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/16/2019-indy-gp-race-day/Continue reading →]]>The boys and I headed over to the track around 11:00. It was a beautiful morning but the weather man said rain was coming. I went out in the morning and purchased some additional rain ponchos to make sure we would stay dry. We brought some but when you are out for an extended time we might need extras to keep our things dry or have a dry place to sit. We parked in our usual spot and walked in.

We usually sit with our friend Mark but Mark didn’t make it this year. We decided we would still sit in the same spot though on the mounds by turns 7,8,9. We walked over to set our chairs down. When we got to the mounds it was obvious that the crowds were down this year. The spots on the top of the mounds were full but just inside the top row was plenty of spots to put our things. The boys decided they would just hang out by our seats since they are too old for the kids zone and didn’t want to walk over to Pagoda plaza. However, before I walked over to the Pagoda we realized we left all the rain gear in the car. I hiked back to our car because I was fairly certain we would need it before the day was over.

When I reentered the track I went past the garages and the Pagoda. Met up with Lisa and Joan there. Couldn’t convince them that the mounds by turn 8 were a great place to watch the race from and they chose the mounds by turn 1. The skies were growing darker so I went back to the boys to make sure we had the rain gear to keep dry. By that time they were ready to venture out and grab a snack. They returned just before the start of the race.

As the race began so did the excitement. Alexander Rossi was out before it even began. Rossi was clipped by Pato O’Ward and then hit the wall. The race stayed green. A couple laps later yellow came out when Marcus Ericsson hit the wall. When we returned to green Colton Herta was spun and Ryan Hunter-Reay clipped Herta. Herta was my fantasy pick. I had just taken over the top spot on a Facebook fantasy league I’m a part of. I’m sure I dropped way down now.

Eventually the rain picked up at Indy. Our rain ponchos were on and everyone was guessing when the best time to get on rain tires was. Some got them on too early and some waited. As the race neared the end, Scott Dixon was struggling with his tires. Simon Pagenaud looked like he was unstoppable. Pagenaud was able to get around Matheus Leist and Jack Harvey. While neither one of those drivers are rookies they are both newer to full time racing in the NTT IndyCar Series. I wasn’t surprised Pagenaud got around them. Dixon would be another story and there were not many laps left. Pagenaud neared Dixon with two laps to go and then made an amazing pass right in front of our seats. I could hear he was coming in my headset and was already yelling. That was enough to make Zach peek out from his rain poncho and he saw the great pass too. Simon Pagenaud won the sixth running of the Indy GP, his third win at this track, tied with Will Power.

Prior to the weekend I would have said I’m fine with anyone winning except Will Power or Simon Pagenaud as between the two of them they had won all previous races. That’s the fun thing about IndyCar though, as a race advances you find yourself rooting one way or another. I didn’t really want Scott Dixon to win even though he would have been a new winner at the GP so I was cheering for Pagenaud to get around Dixie. He did and I loved it. So in all other scenarios where a Penske car might win I wouldn’t be thrilled but Pagenaud needed that win. Simon hasn’t won since 2017 and rumor is he won’t continue at Penske. Maybe this will help him keep his position. He is such a fun and talented driver. I hope he is racing for many years to come.

Scott Dixon finished second- again. I don’t recall the exact number but he has quite a few second places at this race. Jack Harvey finished third. It was a great race by Harvey. I was so close to picking him for my fantasy pick over Herta. Oh well. Love seeing Jack and the Michael Shank team on the podium. A shout out to Matheus Leist and AJ Foyt Racing for their fourth place finish. Matt started way in the back of the field and moved his way up to fourth. Tony Kanaan started last but the team took a gamble and put rain tires on early. Turned out to be a bit too early and Tony didn’t do so well.

We packed up our things and joined the track invasion before the boys headed for the car and I took one last trip past the garages. Since Matthew can drive he got the car and pulled it up as I exited the Speedway. We stopped at the Foyt Vault post race. I had a glass of wine and the boys enjoyed a soda. The main reason for our stop though was to buy the new 103 wine featuring Tony Kanaan. It’s a $60 bottle of wine, much more than I’ve ever spent on a bottle but this bottle is three of May favorite things- AJ Foyt, Tony Kanaan and wine! Steve said to pick one up as a Mother’s Day gift and I didn’t thing twice. The boys then played shuffleboard so I looked through some of the books they have and was reading while I waited for them. We had a simple meal at Culver’s and ended our evening in the hot tub at the hotel. Another fun race day!

A couple posts ago I discussed if the GP was a good race weekend. I can safely say it once again was a wonderful time.

]]>https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/16/2019-indy-gp-race-day/feed/0ikissedthebricksIndy GP qualifyinghttps://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/11/indy-gp-qualifying/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/11/indy-gp-qualifying/#respondSat, 11 May 2019 14:54:16 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/11/indy-gp-qualifying/Continue reading →]]>Boys and I drove down Friday morning for our annual Mother’s Day weekend trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We arrived in town a bit earlier than planned and since the weather was cool we decided to check into our hotel before heading to the track. We’ve sat outside at the Speedway in the cold, it isn’t much fun. So after we were settled and bundled up we headed over.

As we entered we took our traditional picture and then got a tweet from Mike Silver asking if we had arrived. We meet him near the garage area. After catching up with Mike the boys wanted to try the simulators. They did good but I had a big crash and a poor time. It made me a bit dizzy so we grabbed some fries. While there we ran into Mike Knapp and Mike Joachim. Then Lisa Rayhons texted she was heading to the plaza to meet us. We met up with her and her friend, Joan and convinced them to try the simulators. We also stopped in the Mario Andretti store. Prices seemed high and we didn’t purchase anything. As we exited we saw George and Susan Phillips. So in less than an hour we ran into several friends at a huge race track. That just makes me smile. Definitely one of the reasons I love IndyCar. Now that we visited with everyone it was time to find some seats and watch qualifying.

The boys love sitting up in the penthouse seats so they headed there. They were actually in a section that wasn’t open but we found them and headed closer to turn 1 of the oval for viewing qualifying. Very interesting because the mix in the fast six was definitely not who you would expect. Felix Rosenqvist won the pole. Scott Dixon is second. Jack Havey did amazing and will be starting third followed by rookie sensation Colton Herta. Ed Jones and Will Power round out the top six. Surprised to see Power at the bottom of that group. He has been so dominant herein every previous race.

My pick for race winner. I chose Colton Herta but with the rain predicted I’m second guessing that choice. Honestly, I have no clue what will happen if we have a rain race. Well one thing I do know, we will be cold and wet. Such a shame for viewing because this morning it’s beautiful and the sun is shining. However, as far as the racing goes, I’m excited for the rain. Good thing our hotel has a hot tub. Check back later and see how we faired and our thoughts on who won the race.

]]>https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/11/indy-gp-qualifying/feed/0ikissedthebricksIndy GP Great Event or Waste of Time?https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/08/indy-gp-great-event-or-waste-of-time/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/08/indy-gp-great-event-or-waste-of-time/#commentsWed, 08 May 2019 20:32:22 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/?p=1141Continue reading →]]>Recently, on social media I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about the Indy GP. This will be the sixth running of the road course race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race takes place on the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend and has become a tradition in my family. I love attending this race with my boys.

While this race takes place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway I fully understand that it is not the Indianapolis 500. The race itself might not be overly entertaining and we are still waiting for someone other than Simon Pagenaud or Will Power to win it but the event is one of my favorites. Let’s break it down. Why is the Indy GP such a fun weekend and why should you attend?

The Indy GP weekend is a great way to start the Month of May. The days of two weekends for qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 are long gone. I don’t see them returning. This allows fans to have the “Month of May”. Anytime you spend a weekend at IMS it’s a good weekend.

You can’t beat the price. $25 for General Admission and kids under 16 are free. This year I will need to pay for Matthew to enter and I still feel it’s an amazing deal. Parking is so easy and entering the Speedway is simple too. A bag check is done but I’ve never waited in a long line to enter. Oh and did I mention you can bring in your own food and drink, including alcoholic beverages. What facilities allow that. It makes for such an affordable, fun family day.

Great time to meet up with friends. The track is huge but when you aren’t fighting crowds it is easy to meet up with friends. I plan on seeing several this weekend. Many groups will have meet ups and some are spontaneous but either way it’s a great time.

The drivers are also so much more accessible. While there is always pressure on a race weekend it is nothing like the pressure felt at the Indianapolis 500. We’ve meet several drivers on the GP weekend. Larry Foyt even invited us in the garage to see the car up close. Some of my best blog posts have been from this weekend.

Outside the track lines are better too. We celebrate Mother’s Day with breakfast at Charlie Browns. We also like to make a stop at Longs bakery. I haven’t attempted either of these during a 500 weekend and don’t think I ever will. Too many people. The GP weekend draws a crowd but it is not overwhelming and we can enjoy all Speedway has to offer- 1911 Grill, Foyt Vault, Charlie Brown’s and Longs among others. Makes for an even more memorable weekend.

Mother’s Day tradition! My family never disappoints me on Mother’s Day. I have my day planned. Breakfast at Charlie Browns, a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum and a stop at the sale shop at the museum. I walk in with my boys, point out several gift ideas and walk out. They purchase a gift or two for me and present them to me outside by the fountain. Honestly, the last few years they have purchased from the regular store. I have been blown away by their generosity and have some special presents I will always cherish. I can’t think of a better way to spend Mother’s Day.

So obviously I highly recommend attending the Indy GP. It does not take away from the 500 weekend but adds to the whole month of May. It’s starts the excitement and keeps building until the twin checkers fly and a new winner kisses the bricks after a grueling 500 miles. I hope I see you there.

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]]>https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/05/08/indy-gp-great-event-or-waste-of-time/feed/1ikissedthebricksThe Wilson Brothershttps://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/27/the-wilson-brothers/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/27/the-wilson-brothers/#commentsSat, 27 Apr 2019 16:46:21 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/?p=1135Continue reading →]]>I never tire of telling our stories about Justin and Stefan Wilson and after learning that Stefan Wilson will not be racing in the Indianapolis 500 this year I can’t stop running the stories in my mind so I decided to share again.

I don’t remember which race I was watching but my young boys came into the room and watched for a short time with me. As most young kids do, they loved eating at McDonalds so when they saw the McDonald’s car on the screen they wanted to know more about it and who was driving. Justin Wilson was driving and that was all it took for him to become a favorite. My oldest, Matthew, especially liked Justin. Zach was a little more drawn to Danica’s bright green GoDaddy car in his early years. Matthew never did get a McDonalds shirt at a race but a couple years later he found a Justin Wilson/Dad’s root beer shirt. It was way too big but he did not care. He loved that shirt and proudly wore it.

I believe it was the following year we joined the IMS Kid’s Club. They were having an event and we tweeted our favorite drivers hoping they would show up. James Hinchcliffe and Tony Kanaan did not respond. Justin responded to our tweet asking when and where the event would be. He showed up and tweeted that he was there. We were first in line and as the event coordinators were getting a spot ready for him to sign autographs I overheard them saying they were so surprised Justin came. They had no idea he would be there. Seriously, the IndyCar drivers are the best. He showed up because one fan sent out a tweet.

Justin signed Matthew’s shirt and we got this awesome picture.

As the years went on we had some twitter interactions with Justin and I met him at a couple races. Justin did not make the kids club event the following year but tweeted to us that he couldn’t make it because he would be on track practicing.

Fast Forward to Milwaukee 2015. All weekend my boys and I looked for Justin. We just never seemed to be able to find him. We saw every other driver in the paddock but just couldn’t catch a break with Justin. Justin was out of that race early after his engine was smoking. When the race was over Matthew went in search of Justin. Zach and I did the track walk. Then I got the best text from Matthew. He found Justin and got a selfie. Zach and I made our way over and talked with him too. He signed Matthew’s shirt again. The selfie Matthew took is still my lock screen on my phone. (Read more about that day here especially an excerpt from an article Tony DiZinno wrote)

That would be the last time we saw Justin.

While Stefan was racing in Indy Lights we always watched to see how he did. While Stefan didn’t drive a cool McDonald’s car we didn’t care he was by far our favorite Lights driver. We loved it when he won during the 2011 season. It was also so fun to watch Stefan and Justin race together in the IndyCar Series at the Grand Prix of Baltimore in 2013.

We meet Stefan in 2016 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We tweeted we were looking for him and like his brother he tweeted back and said where we could find him. We didn’t have garage passes but he met us. That was incredibly special.

The following year Stefan gave up his ride to Fernando Alonso. I still am upset over this. He showed what an awesome team player he is but wow that was so frustrating as someone who loves Stefan and could care less about Fernando. I was able to again meet Stefan at the Speedway and cried when I told him what an incredible gesture it was to give up his seat.

In 2018, Stefan was back in the car with Andretti Autosport. Michael promised he would make good on Stefan’s willingness to give up his seat the previous year and I’m grateful Michael kept his word. Stefan qualified in the 23rd position. Quite well for someone not racing full time. He led late in the race but unfortunately did not have enough gas to make it to the end. He and Justin made history though becoming the fourth pair of brothers to lead laps during the Indianapolis 500.

Now we have learned that Stefan was not able to secure a ride for the 2019 Indianapolis 500. The Driven to Save Lives car (Stefan’s previous sponsor) has sponsored Pippa Mann and the Andretti Autosport no. 25 car was given to Conor Daly. Conor is a good driver and I understand that decision although to be honest after Stefan’s sacrifice in 2017 I think Michael could have given him a second year. What I don’t understand is why Driven to Save Lives would chose Pippa over Stefan. Pippa fail to make the race last year. She qualifies in the middle or back when she does make it and has never even finished on the lead lap. She might be a great spokeswoman for organ donation but I believe Stefan has a very powerful story too. If I were the one making decisions on the Driven to Save Lives, Clausen Marshall Team I would want Stefan for my driver. Pippa is great and I do enjoy having woman race in the Indy 500 but for me, I would chose Stefan.

Anyway, there is my story about why we will always hold a special place in our hearts for the Wilson brothers and why I feel Stefan should be in the Indy 500 field this year. Praying for a miracle, we’ve seen crazy things happen at Indy.

]]>https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/27/the-wilson-brothers/feed/2ikissedthebricksAlexander Rossi Dominates at Long Beach- Take Twohttps://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/17/alexander-rossi-dominates-at-long-beach-take-two/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/17/alexander-rossi-dominates-at-long-beach-take-two/#respondWed, 17 Apr 2019 16:08:06 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/17/alexander-rossi-dominates-at-long-beach-take-two/Continue reading →]]>As I began to type in my title for this post it came up with last years post where you guessed it- Alexander Rossi dominated. To be honest as I was watching the race I wasn’t sure if I would even do a blog post as I just didn’t have many ideas on what to write on. I enjoyed the race but it was not full of story lines or at least the ones I tend to write about but just at the end it got interesting and I thought I put together a couple thoughts.

Alexander Rossi – The title says it all. Rossi won the pole and went on to win the race pulling away by as much as 12 seconds. No one really ever came close to Rossi’s speed. It was his day.

Josef Newgarden – Josef made a comment in his post race interview that made me smile. He said it really gets old (not winning) after awhile. Poor Josef, it’s been three races. I get it, he is a great driver on a fantastic team and he and the team expect to win. That said I’m sure Josef will win again this season and until then I’m enjoying watching a variety of teams and drivers enjoy the top step of the podium. Josef is still the points leader.

Graham Rahal – So the big controversy was if Graham Rahal blocked or not. On the last lap in the last few corners Graham was in third with Scott Dixon closing in. The IndyCars are allowed to change their race line in anticipation of the driver behind making an attempt to pass but may not react to the driver in back making a move. Honestly, that’s a hard call to make. The lead driver could have a plan but execute it just a bit after the driver in backs makes his move, then it’s blocking. If Graham blocked or not I don’t think he did anything wrong. You have to go for it. I bet Marco wishes he had done that to hold off Sam Hornish Jr in the 2008 Indy 500. Let the officials decide later but if you let someone pass there is no way you get the position. If you let people pass and are not aggressive you don’t belong in Motorsports. Graham was going for it and was able to keep it safe while doing so. Watching replays, I don’t disagree with the call that Graham was indeed blocking. I was disappointed though, Graham could have used the podium finish to build momentum.

So there is my quick review of Long Beach. I always enjoy watching this race, the sunny skies and the beautiful blue fountain. It was snowing here in the Midwest. We received six inches of snow so that made viewing Long Beach even more enjoyable.

Now on to Indy! I will be attending both the GP of Indy and the Indianapolis 500! ISIT MAY YET?

]]>https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/17/alexander-rossi-dominates-at-long-beach-take-two/feed/0ikissedthebricksHonda Indy Grand Prix of Alabamahttps://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/10/honda-indy-grand-prix-of-alabama/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/10/honda-indy-grand-prix-of-alabama/#commentsWed, 10 Apr 2019 17:08:09 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/10/honda-indy-grand-prix-of-alabama/Continue reading →]]>I so enjoyed watching this race. Things were mixed up right from the beginning and the action under green was exciting. In fairness, some would say the same about the previous race at COTA. In fact some of you did, several disagreed with my thoughts on that race. I felt it was a little dull until the yellow came out. On the other hand I was thoroughly enjoying the Barber race without the yellow. So upon reflecting on the two races I wonder how much my setting had to do with it. I watching the COTA race from the top floor of a beach condo where the sun, waves and family begged me to step away from the tv. Barber, I watched from my couch in my house in the Midwest where it was raining. Safe to say I had no distractions. Perhaps I would have enjoyed COTA more under those same settings. Either way I was having a blast watching the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.

Qualifying really shook things up from the start when Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud failed to make even the top twelve in qualifying. Will Power had won the two previous poles this season so there was still hope but in the end it was Takuma Sato that earned the top spot. Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate, Graham Rahal, qualified second. First time since Chicagoland, 2005 RLL Racing swept the front row. Previous had been Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice. David Letterman flew down for the race after such a great qualifying day. Fun to see him there.

As I said I enjoyed the green flag action. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t a Penske driver leading, perhaps it was my ability to pay attention, or perhaps it was just a much more enjoyable race. Either way I was enjoying the mid pack action, the debate on a two or three pit stop strategy and just the beauty of Barber a Motorsports Park. The Park has some unique art and it shows up well on camera. I also laughed every lap when the cars drove under a particular bridge. It had a mannequin hanging from it. The woman had the best view in the house. Will Power joked on social media that when her legs came into view it was time to break. She wasn’t obvious in the screenshot but I saw her every time.

The race did not stay green, on lap 57 Graham Rahal stalled on the backstretch. Max Chilton and Tony Kanaan we’re likely trying to duck into the pits before a yellow came out. They made contact and Chilton went into the tire barrier. The yellow came out but the pits remained open for the leaders to stop. The pit strategy basically went out the window as this allowed everyone to stop and have fuel to the end. I don’t quite understand why the pits stayed open when usually they close. I’m in favor of them staying open when possible but I’m thinking that could be hard calls to make- when it’s appropriate and when it isn’t and might offer itself up to a lot of criticism. However, at least this time it kept everyone on even playing ground.

Takuma Sato went on to win the race. He had one incident where his car went off track but fortunately he was able to maintain his lead. Sato was incredibly dominant all day and as we expect from him was all smiles after. I think he is right up there with Hélio Castroneves on excitement levels. Love seeing the enthusiasm of these two drivers. Big hugs for all his team, including David Letterman. I’m sure David was glad he flew in.

Josef Newgarden also had a good day. He started 16 and finished 4th. That helped with championship points. During his post interview, Randy and I noticed a chalice behind Josef with dragons on it. Thankfully, Kevin Lee asked Josef about it during his interview. It is the Chalice of Excellence. It is given to someone each week on team Penske who does an outstanding performance. What a fun way to boost moral within the team. Apparently, the chalice has its own Instagram.

James Hinchcliffe and Marcus Ericsson finished 6th and 7th. James had been fast all weekend and I’m sure was hoping for a better finishing spot. Marcus has struggled the last two races so a finishing spot of 7th had to feel good for him. I’m expecting Schmidt Peterson to keep advancing.

Also worth noting is that the top 15 were all Honda’s with the exception of the Team Penske Chevy’s. Better engine or better driver/teams, that is a debate for another day. Will have to keep an eye on that, especially as we approach the Indianapolis 500.

So huge Congrats to Takuma Sato. Also huge shout out to NTT IndyCar Series, three races, three winners, that is one of the reasons I love IndyCar. The competition is amazing. Looking forward to another great race at Long Beach.

]]>https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/04/10/honda-indy-grand-prix-of-alabama/feed/2ikissedthebricksColton Herta becomes youngest IndyCar Winnerhttps://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/26/colton-herta-becomes-youngest-indycar-winner/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/26/colton-herta-becomes-youngest-indycar-winner/#respondTue, 26 Mar 2019 19:27:18 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/?p=1118Continue reading →]]>I never pick well on my fantasy leagues. I have one Facebook league where you can only pick one driver. Well yesterday I chose the right driver. Wow! That was an amazing race. Loved watching Colton Herta win at Circuit of the Americas.

Colton Herta, son of Bryan Herta, became the youngest IndyCar winner at age 18. George Michael Steinbrenner IV became the youngest owner to win a race. Watching history being made was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. However, when I first started watching the race I wasn’t quite sure it was the best use of my time. My family is in Panama City Beach for a Spring Break and no one quite understood why I would rather watch the race than be on the beach. Well I had spent the morning on the beach and had a beautiful view from the balcony during the race so I didn’t feel like I was giving up too much beach time. Besides at the end of the day I’m too big of a fan to miss the inaugural IndyCar race at COTA. I did skip most of the pre race show and Steve and the boys went out for the afternoon so I could focus on the race. It was a clean start and while there were some passes made it felt very bland. Cars pit on different strategies but other than that it was just watching cars drive around.

I was beginning to thing COTA might be a bust when we finally got some entertainment. On lap 44 there was an incident with James Hinchcliffe and Felix Rosenqvist (two of my fantasy picks of course). It brought out the only full course yellow of the race. Everyone knows you want to be the first in to make the last pit stop because if a yellow comes out it’s going to mess up your race. That is exactly what happened. Will Power and Alexander Rossi would give up the lead and Colton Herta and Josef Newgarden, who had just stopped, took over at the front of the field. Suddenly this race was a lot more exciting.

Now some might complain about how the pits close during a yellow and how it can completely change the direction a race is going and depending on who is leading I might agree but when we are watching Will Power run away with a race again I love the way a yellow can change things. Regardless of yellow Will Power would have been out as he had some type of car problem on his last pit stop and his day was done. Will ended up in last place and lost his chance at winning $100,000 had he won both the pole and the race. Alexander Rossi most likely would have won the race had we stayed green. However, Rossi’s day was also messed up by the yellows. Now Herta would just have to hold off Newgarden on the restart and remaining laps. That would be a tall order for anyone but an 18 year old rookie on a new team up against a former champion and Penske driver. Hmm. This is not going to be easy. Yet, Colton Herta made it look quite easy as he got a great restart and built up a nice lead over Josef. Josef had more time left on his push to pass but never really got close enough to threaten Colton’s lead. While some might say that Colton inherited the lead because of a yellow at the right time for him, it takes talent to hold off the Penske drivers. I score this as a legitimate win and put Herta in the rising star category. Hope I’m not jinxing him by saying that.

Josef Newgarden finished second, Ryan Hunter-Reay was third. Graham Rahal and Sebastien Bourdais rounded out the top five with Marco Andretti coming in sixth.

So was COTA a success? It was but only due to the yellow flag. I never want a gimmick or things included just to make a dull race more interesting but I sure was glad when that yellow came out. When it’s just a parade and especially a Penske parade racing can get quite dull. It was the perfect kind of yellow, no one was hurt and it added a whole bunch of excitement to the race. I’m sure anyone within shouting distance of me was not to happy. I was yelling at Colton to win this thing. Thankfully he did. Had the yellow never happened all the excitement about IndyCars finally racing at COTA might have had us questioning why anyone thought it would be a fun place to watch a race.

Closing thoughts-

NBCSN Gold Package is worth the money. I have enjoyed watching the coverage a lot and am especially thankful for the opportunity to watch at a later time. If you haven’t already purchased I would highly suggest it if you enjoy following along with practice and qualifying. At less than $5 per race, it seems like a very good value to me.

Danica Patrick- It was announced last week that Danica would be part of the broadcast team for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500. As you can imagine social media went nuts and every complaint about Danica was repeated- again. Oh my goodness, get over it people. Nothing makes me more frustrated than listening to people say she was a lousy driver and an unkind person. First, she was (and is to this day) the best female driver in IndyCar by far. She won a race, she won poles and she consistently finished in the top 5, 10 and on the lead lap. Last year she qualified in the top 9 at Indy. Pippa Mann will get all the praise in the world but she consistently is down laps, qualifies in the back or fails to qualify to all. Honestly, I don’t hold out a ton of hope for her to make the field this year. Don’t even say she is in a lower quality car. She is but we all know the cars are insanely close in their set ups and there is not the huge advantage past drivers have had. Pippa has been with Dale Coyne, a proven race winner. At the end of the day Danica is the leader among women drivers and beats some of the men too. That’s quite the accomplishment. Second, before you all go saying how mean she is, please remember that none of you really know her. You know a personality, who she shows at a press event or when running from meetings and practice times. I imagine it’s got to get old knowing ever time you show your face someone will want an autograph, a picture, an interview. Unless you know her outside racing cut her some slack. We have been in this exact same place with Ryan Hunter-Reay and while I freely admit he is not a driver we cheer for, we never call him rude names or think he is a rotten person deserving death. We realize he is a busy man and was probably frustrated over things we don’t even know are going on. We often walk right by him when we see him now but we don’t name call and wish for bad things to happen to him- well maybe we do smile a bit when his race gets messed up but that’s it. So long story to say, we’ve been fans of Danica since Zach decided that the green GoDaddy car was his favorite and we are looking forward to seeing her on the broadcast. As I understand she will have a larger part in the pre and post show and most of calling the race will be our usual suspects, Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. I think it will all work out just fine.

Thanks for reading.

]]>https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/26/colton-herta-becomes-youngest-indycar-winner/feed/0ikissedthebricksIndyCar at St. Petehttps://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/indycar-at-st-pete/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/indycar-at-st-pete/#respondFri, 15 Mar 2019 22:13:47 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/indycar-at-st-pete/Continue reading →]]>Wow! I never expected it to take me all week to get this post out. To say I’ve been a bit overwhelmed in my personal life is an understatement. Last weekend, race weekend, we were hosting a pastor and his family. Pastor John was the pastoral candidate at our church. I served on the search team that recommended him to our elders. The elders recommended him to the congregation. After a long weekend of meet and greets and John preaching on Sunday morning, our church voted unanimously for him to be our new Sr. Pastor. It was a fun weekend. So excited to see how God will use him in our church. The racing side of me was eager to get home on Sunday and catch up on the race. I was able to watch the race Sunday afternoon. Monday morning our house guests left- Pastor John, his wife Kim and three of their five children had stayed with us for six nights. I enjoyed one quiet night before a new house guest arrived. She needs a little assistance getting back on her feet and will be with us about a week. She demands a lot of attention and that has kept me from having time to sit down and write this.

Celebration at Culver’s the evening of the vote. My boys and the pastors kids get along great.

St. Pete

Ok, let’s get down to business. NBCSN announced they would be the sole carrier of IndyCar for 2019 and beyond. Amazing news. The also offered a gold package on the NBC sports app. The gold package would offer lots of extra coverage and the ability to watch the race shortly after the air time. The cost was approximately $50 with the price going up $5 after opening day at St Pete. I debated waiting until after St Pete and hearing everyone’s thought on the gold package but eventually decided I’m too big of a fan to wait. I have to say I thoroughly appreciated the coverage. I miss the IndyCar Radio guys so as the season progresses I may flip back and forth or first listen to radio and then watch the app later. I think it’s going to be huge for me next weekend with COTA when I am out of town and unable to watch live. So far I’m impressed.

So this long after the race you have all had time to digest what happened so rather than do a race review I’m going to touch on a couple things that stuck out to me.

Loving that NBCSN is the provider. Qualifying, pre show and post show. I always hated that ABC just opened the season with a few minutes before jumping right into the race. I’m really excited to have every race covered by NBC. I’m especially excited to watch the Indy 500.

The race started with a clean lap around turn one and continued. On Lap 13, Sébastien Bourdais, who had won the last two years was out. A yellow was not called.

Lap 20 Ryan Hunter-Reay had smoke pouring from his car. A full course yellow was called. I’m not a RHR fan so it did not upset me at all to see him out.

Somewhere around lap 60 NBCSN had some technical difficulties. To be honest I fast forwarded over this and wasn’t watching live to check in on social media to find out what was going on. I think it was just one of those weird things. I don’t expect it to be an issue in future races. We were back live within 10 laps.

By this time Josef Newgarden was running away with the race. At one time JNew had a 9 second lead over Scott Dixon. Crazy!

Felix Rosenqvist had an impressive race. Not quite what we saw from Robert Wickens last year but still one to watch this season. He finished 4th.

Dario Franchitti is to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame. That’s quite the honor and honesty well deserved.

AJ Foyt was back at the track for the first time since his back surgery last year. Always makes me happy to see AJ at a race.

Which brings me to a last point.

COLTON HERTA- The whole thing with Harding Steinbrenner Racing is sad. So disappointed for Pato O’Ward. Thankfully, Pato found a ride and I’m excited to watch Colton’s career unfold. He showed a ton of speed in qualifying and was set to make the fast six before a penalty for slowing a driver down was imposed. Colton finished 8th in the race and I have to say I’m more impressed by this rookie than I have been by others. I know he has the name but I still expect to see him shine in the series. Keep your eye on him.

Oh wait. My final thought- how cool is it that Robert Wickens was at the St Pete race. He did a ton of appearances and was a great help to James Hinchcliffe. After the race, James, Robert and Marco Andretti along with their better halves took a birthday trip to the Bahamas. Robert celebrated his 30th birthday. Same day as Marco’s birthday. Fun videos and James’ podcast happened during that trip. Loved seeing Robbie poolside and able to relax. Continue to pray for his recovery.

Thanks for reading. Hope to be more timely with my COTA posts.

]]>https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/indycar-at-st-pete/feed/0ikissedthebricks2019 IndyCar Seasonhttps://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/06/2019-indycar-season/
https://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/06/2019-indycar-season/#respondWed, 06 Mar 2019 23:20:38 +0000http://ikissedthebricks.wordpress.com/2019/03/06/2019-indycar-season/Continue reading →]]>Guess it’s time to brush the dust off my blog. The IndyCar off-season seems so long and then suddenly it’s over and we are ready to go racing. I won’t be able to cover all I missed during the off season but thought I throw out a couple thoughts as we prepare for the 2019 season.

Let’s start with the fun news! I’m going to the Indianapolis 500 this May. Zach and I surprised Randy with tickets at Christmas. The tickets arrived today. While Zach and I attended the 99th running of the 500, we did not have the pleasure of receiving a blue envelope in the mail. This year I ordered our tickets so I have the privilege of opening the mail box and finding a beautiful blue envelope. Wow! That’s more fun than seeing the first flowers of Spring. The not so fun part is that due to snow days, Friday, May 24th has become our last day of school. Not sure I can pull Zach out on his last day. We might not make Carb Day. We will have to see what his schedule looks like as it gets closer.

Other fun news is that Robert Wickens will be attending the St Petersburg race. While I kinda expected this it still makes my heart so happy to see his improvements and positive attitude. Obviously I’m not a doctor and don’t really know the extent of his injuries but if attitude is any indication Robert will be in a car again. If you aren’t following Robbie on social media you need to start. He is amazing and such an inspiration.

I’m coming to St. Petersburg!! I can’t wait to be back in the @indycar paddock. I’ll be doing a meet and greet Sunday at 10am at the firestone display in the fan village, as well as the indycar autograph session Friday at 12:30. I look forward to seeing everyone around the track! pic.twitter.com/chhS5n10hQ

Sébastien Bourdais has won the St Pete race the last two years. I’m not really expecting a third win but I do expect a win during the season.

I’m expecting the Andretti team to be on fire. Rossi will be in the championship battle. Ryan Hunter-Reay will have a win and Zach Veach will get a win too. I’m a huge Marco fan. I’d love to see him back in victory circle. I honestly believe he has talent. He is who I want to win the Indy 500. Marco just needs to get out of his head. I’m happy for Conor to have the 500 ride but at the end of the day I’m a huge Stefan Wilson fan and I wanted him in that car.

So speaking of Stefan Wilson- Pippa Mann will be driving the Driven2SaveLives car for Clausen-Marshall Racing. While I’m glad Pippa has a chance to attempt the 500 again I don’t understand their choice for a driver. Pippa failed to qualifylast year and usually is in the back of the pack. While she was teammates with Bryan Clausen I don’t see how she really becomes a spokesperson for Driven 2 Save Lives. Stefan on the other hand, qualified well for the 500 last year, led laps and is an amazing spokesperson for organ donation. He has such a personal story to tell and I think that would go a lot farther to reach others to donate than anything else. At the end of the day I just think Stefan is a better driver and I would prefer to see him in the car. While I appreciate Pippa I don’t see her going anywhere and imagine she will finish in the back of the pack if she is able to qualify.

So what about Harding Steinbrenner Racing? Sadly, they weren’t able to get enough sponsors for two cars and Pato O’Ward was released from his contract. Colton Herta will be the sole driver. Both drivers show great potential so while there may be factors that led to Colton over Pato no one can really say one is more deserving than the other. The hard part is this late in the season it will be tricky for Pato to put something together. Andretti offered him a multiple race deal which was turned down. I don’t understand that at all. I’d take part time with one of the big three teams over full time with a smaller team almost any day.

Last thought- Personally, I could care less that Fernando Alonso will be racing in the 500 again this year. I know it’s good for the sport but frankly I don’t care. Just one less spot for the drivers I do care about.

This season I plan to attend the GP of Indy, Indianapolis 500, Road America and Gateway. Small chance I also sneak in Iowa. Hope to see you at a race soon. Check back often. Now that it’s officially IndyCar season I will be posting regularly. Thanks for reading.